STORIES TO THE FOLKS BACK HOME
Sidelight stories of what happened in the St. Mihiel fight, mostly in letters written home by men who were in it, go far toward showing how completely the Germans were taken off their guard. Corp. Ray Fick of the 103d Infantry wrote home in this wise:
"We got into the woods and then kept on going until we reached a big city where there was a brewery, but they had set fire to the whole city before they left. We got some beer and wine just the same. It was a little stale, but it was fine. The Huns" warehouses were all fixed for the winter and the boys got cigars and cigarettes, but I was a little too late to get in on it.
"The whole thing was very interesting all the way through. The Huns sure did make themselves scarce in a hurry, but they kept many prisoners, a troop train and an ammunition train.
"Cigarettes are scarce and we look for smokes all the time. The Red Cross and the Salvation Army are the ones who look to our comforts. If any one wants to give, tell them the Red Cross and the Salvation Army are the ones to get it."
HUNS CARRY OFF CAPTIVE WOMEN
But Corporal Fick uncovers another Hun procedure that has no fun in it.
While the Huns lost no time in getting away from there, they took care to carry off their captured women slaves.
"The women they have held captives for the last four years," he writes, "were driven ahead of them, but they were brought back by the Americans.
Truckload after truckload pa.s.sed us on the way, and they sure were happy to be free again."
"h.e.l.l HAS CUT LOOSE"
Another soldier wrote to his father telling about the first day of attack as he saw it:
"h.e.l.l has let loose. The woods are a ma.s.s of whistling sh.e.l.l and shrapnel. Every time the big twelves go off the flash lights up the entire camp like a flashlight picture, then the ground heaves and tumbles like old Lake Michigan does on a stormy day.
"The infantry have cleared the top and have gone on far in advance, almost outside of the range of fire. Our big objective has been wiped off the map and our men are preparing to keep right on going after them and backing up the doughboys who are doing such great work.
"I went up to the front last night on an ammunition caisson (which is the only way to get up there) and saw the thing commence. It started with one solitary gun of ours (a big one, too). Then the others joined in on the chorus, and it has been steady ever since.
"When the doughboys were told that they were going over the top at the zero hour, you never heard shouting to equal it; the Board of Trade on a Monday morning was just a whisper in comparison.
"Dad, that is the general feeling of our boys over here--always waiting to move up. I told a lad in one of the outfits that the artillery was right back of them and would blow them through to the objective if they did not make it, and he laughed and said, "Hoboken by Christmas." They were all in the best of mood and roaring to go."
These letters are good specimens of the thousands that have come over the sea. They not only give good sidelights on an event that will loom large in history, but they show the indomitable cheer and high spirit of our soldiers.
MAJOR TELLS HIS STORY
Concurrently with the action that originated at St. Mihiel on September 11, 1918, another great battle developed northwest of Verdun. It lasted about three weeks, and is graphically described by Lt. Col. B.M.
Chipperfield (then a major) of the 23d Division. Lt. Col. Chipperfield was a partic.i.p.ant in as well as an eyewitness of the whole engagement.
Under date of September 29, 1918, the described it substantially as follows, in a letter to a friend at home:
"For several days preparations had been in progress for the action that began on Thursday, September 26th. The American troops were moved up by night, jamming the roads with their advancing columns and transport trains.
"Thousands and thousands of them," wrote Major Chipperfield, "trudged along without a light and in almost quiet.
ENORMOUS NUMBERS OF GUNS
"Tanks and cannon and guns of all sorts, every kind of vehicle, ambulance wagon, and transport pa.s.sed in this continuous procession. It seemed that there was no end to it, and one could not help but admire the wonderful resources that had been gathered together by the United States to help perform its part in this great struggle for freedom.
"I think the greatest collection of guns that has ever been gathered together for partic.i.p.ation in any conflict of the world was taken to the front where the attack was about to be made. It is estimated there were 6,000 of these guns, and the soldiers that were gathered together numbered hundreds of thousands.
"These guns and soldiers were conducted to their places so secretly and quietly that, although they marched many miles, the enemy did not even know a small part of the strength and could only speculate what it all meant.
UNDER ENFILADING FIRE
"In the arrangement of the plan of battle our division was on the extreme right. Across the river was a German stronghold. Here there were located a large quant.i.ty of artillery and many machine guns. Our officers understood that it was going to be a difficult advance, for a bridge had to be built across a creek, but everything in our division went like clockwork. It had all been planned in advance, and the plan was carried out exactly as made.
"It was arranged that at 11:30 o"clock on Thursday night the battle was to begin. Before that time I had reached my destination at the headquarters of the other division, and together with the rest of the headquarters staff we were in a favorable place to watch the commencement.
"At 11:25 it was silent as the grave, and the night was beautiful.
Precisely at 11:30 from every conceivable direction the great bombardment commenced. In an instant the whole night was filled with a roar and thunder and reverberation of the cannon from, every quarter.
The shriek and whistle and whine and clamor of the sh.e.l.ls made a fearful chorus as they were hurled in the direction of the field occupied by our adversaries.
"From every quarter came the flash of the explosions, until the night was lighted as bright as day. Signal rockets rose from every portion and part of our lines and also from the enemy lines. It looked as though the heavens were ablaze and raining fire. It was a scene which has probably never been seen before upon any battlefield and may never be witnessed again.
"Apparently this fierce bombardment took the enemy entirely by surprise because our fire was so deadly and the extent so great that they could only make uncertain reply. They seemed to be stupefied.
"For six hours this terrific bombardment continued. It is estimated that each of the guns fired an average of three shots a minute and that 1,000,000 projectiles and charges of ammunition were used.
OVER THE TOP AT 5:30 A.M.
"As 5:30 approached the bombardment increased. The machine guns joined in the chorus and a curtain of steel and fire was placed in front of our troops and rained upon the guns and cannon of the enemy.
"After a brief period of this fire our men started over the top, and as they did so they swept the enemy before them in their irresistible rush.
They advanced kilometer after kilometer. They could not be resisted or stayed at any stage of the attack.
"Soon the prisoners commenced to come in, and they told of the terrific effect that the great bombardment had upon the Germans. They said the bombardment was so terrible that it disrupted their plans so that they could not be carried out and that they could not resist the attack.
"Several times during the night I went out to witness the scene and as long as life lasts it will be remembered.
ON DEAD MAN"S HILL
"Once when two of our regiments came over a hill and saw the valley that lay before them being terrifically sh.e.l.led by the cannon and a.s.sailed by hail from the machine guns, the whole column was seen to pause and a look of worry came over the faces of these men that for just an instant was pitiful. They knew that ahead of them lay death for many and it is not strange that for several seconds the lines were held up, but then a look of fierce determination and of courage took the place of the former expression and with a great resolve and courage, dash, and daring, the lines shot forward at a redoubled step and the determination to do or die was manifested in every action.
"These machine guns were speedily put out of business, and then the attack would go on. That portion of the lines that the division of which I am a member was given for the purpose of the attack, it was thought would take the entire day, but our division was on its objective by early afternoon and had commenced to dig in, from which position they could defy the Germans with impunity.
"While the attack was going on I went up to Dead Man"s Hill.
This hill is the last word in the destructiveness of war.
"It is literally rent to atoms. Dugouts have been blown to pieces. Hundreds of thousands of men had been killed in the earlier battles before Verdun, and many of the bodies could not be reached for burial, the place was so torn up."
OTHER PERSONAL GLIMPSES
Many other personal glimpses of the fighting come from officers and men.
One division was made up largely of Illinois regiments, among others the 3d Illinois Infantry, commanded by Col. John V. Clinnin. The position held by these troops was vital to the entire advance, and it required rapid action on the first day to reach the objective at the same time as the other units.
Menomme creek is a little stream which is not shown on maps. It runs eastward from the village of Septsarges to the Meuse. The stream holds vivid memories for the Illinois infantry. It was there that it met the most severe resistance, the Germans catching our men just as they were relieving other young soldiers. The men fought their way down to the creek. On the other side along the highway between Septsarge and Dannevoux the Germans had entrenched themselves and were sh.e.l.ling the road which the Americans had crossed. They were also using intrenched machine guns at the edge of the woods.
"I heard bullets whistling overhead," said a wounded soldier in a hospital. "We were lying near the edge of the creek at the time and knew that a machine gun was shooting at us, so I just started out and got it."